Why are Mormons flocking to Google Plus and giving it the +1?

The search term “Mormon” yields 341,000 results on Google’s new, social network, Google+, while “LDS” returns 167,000. Those numbers don’t nearly measure up to references to Christianity, Islam and Judaism, but for a network with 25 million users, about 500,000 references is a number that cannot be easily ignored.

“It’s not surprising to me at all that so many Mormons are early adopters of Google Plus and have embraced it as an excellent platform for networking and sharing information via social media,” says Kathryn Skaggs, who writes the blog, A Well Behaved Mormon Woman, and tweets at the handle @LDSNana. “Facebook.com has 500,000 likes, the majority of which are members of the church. Google Plus is more transparent so it’s easier to find us.”

According to Skaggs, who maintains a list of Mormons on Google Plus which has drawn 286 comments (the first: “Awesome! Mormons are taking over G+!”), the majority of the members of the church on Plus — as well as other social networking sites — come aboard to network primarily. But Mormons so integrate their faith into their daily lives, that “sharing our religious beliefs just comes second nature.”

“It’s who we are,” she says. “If you happen to know any of us online, you will most likely observe that we share many different facets of our lives — including our religion.”

The blogger Tevya Washburn of Mormon Life Hacker has posted on “Uniquely LDS Uses for Google+,” including sharing the gospel, floating questions on Plus before using them in Sunday school and organizing book clubs.

Skaggs explains that the church — which live streams its general conferences — understands the power of social media, particularly for broadcasting its message widely. “To Mormons, the greatest message to share is that of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ,” she says. “Members of the church are unified in their desire to share this message with others. We recognize that the Internet is an excellent resource for sharing our beliefs.”

The church’s embrace of new technologies is nothing new, she adds, citing television commercials and the church’s “I am a Mormon” campaign. “It should come as no surprise, then, to see the church using social media to share the gospel,” she says. ”

During general conferences, individual members drive the social media buzz, according to Skaggs. “The LDS Church encourages its members to use the Internet to share our beliefs. The great success is that individual members respond in very personal ways,” she says. “I believe, that in general, the most effective use of social networking to share religious beliefs, is still done at the one-on-one level.”

Asked who are some of the most prominent Mormons using Plus, Skaggs cites Louis Gray, a product marketing manager at Google+; Jesse Stay, author of Google+ for Dummies; and Paul Allen, co-founder of Ancestry.com.